Fruit-pricking machine.



- Patented May [4, I90l. H. m. BARNGBOVEB. FRUIT PRICKING MACHINE.

(Application filed Jan. 1, 1901-) (No Model.)

TNE Nunms PETEVRS cc. wom-mma, msnluuwu. o. c

NITED STATES:

HARVEY M. BARNGROVER, OF LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA.

FRUIT-PRICKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674,131, dated May 14,1901.

Application filed January 11, 1901. Serial No. 42,834. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: V

Be it known that I, HARVEY M. BARN- GROVER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Los Gatos, Santa Clara count-y, State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-PrickingMachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same.

My invention relates to that class of machines for pricking orpuncturing the skins of fruit, like prunes and plums, preparatory todrying, in which the fruit is subjected to the action ofpricking-needles whereby the skin is punctured.

The object of my invention is to insure certainty in the operation byproviding a ma chine capable of adapting itself, both by reason of itsessential structure and the adjustments of its parts, to all theconditions of the work, as I shall hereinafter more fully explain.

My invention consists, primarily, of a rotatable pricking-cylinder inconnection with a partially-encircling yielding pressure-apron locatedwith relation to the cylinder in such manner as to leave a space betweenthem for the passage of the fruit. I

It also consists in means, in connection with said apron, of regulatingits pressure on the fruit and in details of construction andarrangement, which I shall fully describe.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my machine. Fig. 2 is a frontview of same look.- ing from the apron side.

A is a frame or stand, in which is mounted a cylinder B, having upon itsperipherythe needles 1), thereby constituting it a prickingcylinder. Arotary motion is imparted to the pricking-cylinder by any suitablemeans. A hand-crank O is here shown for the sake of illustration.

D is a hopper in position to feed the fruit to the pricking-cylinder.

E is a pressure-apron. It partially encircles the cylinder, beingseparated from it to leave an intervening space I). Into this space, atthe upper end, the fruit passes from the hopper, and from the lower endof the space the fruit is discharged. The pressure-apron is a yieldingone-that is to say, it is adapted to give under the pressure of thefruit in its passage. This yielding may be the result of the manner ofmounting or connecting it, as by a joint at its upper end; but the bestconstruction is to make the apron itself flexible, so that its yieldingpressure will be exercised at all points throughout its length. Thisflexibility may be had in various ways, depending upon the material usedand the con struction of the apron. For illustration I have here shownthe apron as formed of juxtaposited parallel slats e, connected by aflexible material e, such as canvas or other fab ric. Guides or supportsF hold the apron in proper position and define the minimum width of thespace I), through which the fruit passes. The apron. merely lies uponthese supports and is free to move outwardly therefrom. The degree ofpressure exercised by the apron E is regulated by the weights W,suspended from its lower end. These weights serve to hold the apronagainst the pressure of the passing fruit, and by increasing ordiminishing said weights the apron may be held with any predeterminedforce. Small pulleys G guide the weight-suspending ropes to. Thesepulleys are made adjustable, as shown, so that by setting them nearer toor farther from the plane of the cylinder the effective or workinglength of the apron may be varied by allowing more or less of its lengthto lie in normal position against the guides or supports F. Also byproviding for the adjustment of the guides or supports F nearer to orfarther from the cylinder the minimum width of the feed-space b may beinitially determined. For this purpose I have here shown the upperendsfof the guides as being adj ustably connected to their support.

The operation is as follows: The fruit is supplied to the hopper D, bywhich it is fed to the pricking-cylinder. By the rotation of thecylinder the fruitis carried into the space b, wherein, being opposed bythe pressureapron E, it is punctured or pricked by the cylinder needles.During its course each specimen is rolled and turned many times, alwaysfinding sufiicient resistance in the apron to cause it to be prickedover and over again and finding also sulficient give or yield in theapron to enable it to free itself from the needles without being torn,and thus to be ready for fresh punctures. The flexibility of the apronenables it to lie close to all grades of the fruit, thus rendering itpossible to feed the fruit to the machine without a preliminary grading,leaving this to be done subsequently. The fruit finally falls from thelower end of space I) properly pricked and is received in or upon asuitable receptacle. In this operation the pricking is positive andcertain, the possible adjustments being such as to prevent such a hastyor voluminous supply of fruit as would result in the escape of manyindividuals from the action of the needles; nor is there any liabilityof undue or excessive action, resulting in tearing the skins, for theadjustment of the pressure of the apron may be so made as to nicelyregulate the conditions for all grades of fruit, and the yielding of theapron at any point due to its inherent flexibility will prevent unduepressure on any one grade.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatablepricking-cylinder, and a yielding pressure-apron, partially encirclingsaid cylinder, and separated therefrom, to leave an intervening spacefor the passage of the fruit.

2. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatablepricking-cylinder, and a pressure-apron of a flexible character,partially encircling said cylinder, and separated therefrom, to leave anintervening space for the passage of the fruit.

3. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatableprickingcylinder, a yielding pressure-apron, partially encircling saidcylinder, and separated therefrom, to leave an intervening space for thepassage of the fruit, and supports for said apron, adapted to determinethe minimum width of said space.

4;. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatableprickingcylinder, a yielding pressure-apron, partially encircling saidcylinder, and separated therefrom, to leave an intervening space for thepassage of the fruit, and adjustable supports for said apron, adapted toregulate the minimum width of said space.

5. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatablepricking-cylinder, a yielding pressure-apron partially encircling saidcylinder, and separated therefrom, to leave an intervening space for thepassage of the fruit, and supports upon which the pressure-apron freelylies, and which determine the minimum width of the space between theapron and cylinder.

6. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatablepricking-cylinder, a yielding pressure-apron partially encircling saidcylinder, and separated therefrom, to

leave an intervening space for the passage of the fruit, and supportsadjustable toward and away from the cylinder, upon which said supportsthe pressure apron freely lies, and which, by their adjustment, areadapted to regulate the minimum width of the space between the apron andcylinder.

7. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatableprickingcylinder, a yielding pressure-apron, partially encircling saidcylinder, and separated therefrom, to leave an intervening space for thepassage of the fruit, and means applied to said apron, to regulate thedegree of its pressure upon the passing fruit.

8. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatableprickingcylinder, a pressure-apron of a flexible character, partiallyencircling said cylinder, and separated therefrom, to leave anintervening space for the passage of the fruit, and means applied tosaid apron, to regulate the degree of its pressure upon the passingfruit.

9. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatablepricking-cylinder, a yielding pressure-apron, partially encircling saidcylinder and separated therefrom, to leave an intervening space for thepassage of the fruit, and weights suspended from said apron, to regulateits degree of pressure upon the passing fruit.

10. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatablepricking-cylinder, a yielding pressure-apron, partially encircling saidcylinder, and separated therefrom, to leave an intervening space for thepassage of the fruit, supports for said apron adapted to define theminimum width of said space, and weights suspended from said apron, toregulate its degree of pressure upon the passing fruit.

11. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatablepricking-cylinder, a yielding pressure-apron, partially encircling saidcylinder, and separated therefrom, to leave an intervening space for thepassage of the fruit, supports upon which the pressureapron freely lies,and which determine the minimum width of the space between the apron andcylinder, and means applied to the apron to regulate the degree of itspressure against said supports.

12. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatablepricking-cylinder, a yielding pressure-apron, partially encircling saidcylinder, and separated therefrom, to leave an intervening space for thepassage of the fruit, supports for said apron adapted to define theminimum width of said space, Weights suspended from said apron, toregulate its degree of pressure upon the passing fruit, and adjustablepulleys controlling the plane of suspension of the Weights.

13. In a fruit-pricking machine, the combination of a rotatablepricking-cylinder, a yielding pressure-apron, partially encircling saidcylinder, and separated therefrom, to

IIG

leave an intervening space for the passage of In witness whereof I havehereunto set my the fruit, adjustable supports for said apron hand. toregulate the minimum width of said space,

weights suspended from said apron, to regu- HARVEY BARNGROVER' 5 lateits degree of pressure upon the passing Witnesses:

fruit, and adjustable pulleys controlling the WM. M. BEGGS, plane ofsuspension of the Weights. H. A. HARDINGE.

